


What’s up Pussycat?

by BenBitchops



Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: Cat Dad Auston, I just wanted to give him a cat because cats are amazing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-11
Updated: 2018-12-11
Packaged: 2019-09-16 09:02:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,354
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16951035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BenBitchops/pseuds/BenBitchops
Summary: "I don't care if I'm allergic, I found him and I’m keeping him." or alternatively: How Auston adopted a cat.





	What’s up Pussycat?

**Author's Note:**

> He might actually be allergic to cats but Auston and cats are literally one and the same and nothing you say can convince me otherwise so that’s that.

Auston has always been a dog person. Growing up he had two dogs, Chips and Salsa, and now he had Nala back home with his parents who  _ somehow _ only gets chubbier when he’s back home for the summer. 

 

(He’s been woken up rudely numerous times because Nala decided to all but crush his lungs with her weight by sleeping across his chest. He ended up taking her on his morning jogs hoping to remedy the situation much to his moms amusement.)

 

He liked Jax just fine but Mitch always seemed to be favored more, definitely a quirk gained from Marty. He’d also met Maggie Rielly who is quite literally the dog version of Morgan himself so the two of them got along nicely. But then there was Jazzy Kadri.

 

Naz made her an Instagram, officially run by his wife, and suddenly Jazzy was the talk of the week. Every reporter was asking about the account and if the guys were following it which really speaks volumes about how boring that point in the season must have been but Auston never really saw the appeal of cats to begin with. 

 

“Yeah, I think I’m allergic but I guess I definitely gotta follow her now.”

 

One follow later and Auston had officially been sucked into whatever voodoo cats seemed to use to make you fall in love with them. He tries not to watch too many of Jazzy’s videos but when the insomnia hits and he’s mindlessly scrolling through his feed he somehow always finds Jazzy’s cute little grey self. 

 

Auston officially gets to meet Jazzy when Naz invites the guys to his place to celebrate his engagement and there’s Jazzy perched on her tower watching them in what Auston can only assume is disgust for invading her space. He can’t blame her because he’s the same way when there’s too many people in his space at once. 

 

The night moves as smooth as possible with a hoard of hockey players under one roof up until Jazzy perches herself near Auston’s head and suddenly his whole body shakes from the sneeze that rips out of him that not only startles Jazzy but literally everyone near him. 

 

“Jesus, Matty..”

“Dude, gross! Cover your mouth!”

“Shit, Matty your face is red.”

 

Auston feels his face get a little scratchy and his eyes water which really means only one things at that point: He’s allergic to cats. Which is kinda a shame because Jazzy actually looked like she wanted to bless him with her presence before he scared her half to death with his sneeze. 

 

“I think I need to leave.” Thankfully Mo, ever the responsible one, gets Auston to a pharmacy where the pharmacist confirms that yup he’s had an allergic reaction. After a quick call to one of the team doctors Auston gets sent home with meds and a shot which should’ve been the end of the Auston vs Cats phyasco. 

 

That is until he gets sandwiched between two Islanders and has to sit out with a fucked up shoulder for a few weeks. It fucking sucks and that’s not even scratching the surface. His saving grace is his mom flying in to take care of him, who lets him mope for as long as she sees fit before forcing him out of the house to get some fresh air. 

 

“But-“ Ema sighs softly as she cups his face in her hands gently. “But nothing. You need some fresh air and so does this apartment. Your doctor said to not stay cooped up so much so go out and enjoy your day.”

 

So that’s how Auston finds himself walking around the city late morning when no one is really around to stop him for pictures or autographs. He still keeps his hat tugged low as he walks hoping to stay unseen, up until he sees a group of guys his age walking towards his direction. One of the guys is wearing a leafs hoodie which means there’s a fifty/fifty shot the guy will recognize him and right now he’d rather not so he ducks into the nearest alley and waits for them to pass before he keeps walking. Once the guys make their way past him Auston lets out a breath and moves to walk back out when he feels something brush against his feet making him jump which pulls his shoulder wrong making him hiss. 

 

“What the…”

 

Auston looks down and there’s a tiny black cat sat looking up at him with big green eyes that makes his stomach churn. He’s not in the mood for an allergy attack but when the tiny kitten meows up at him, all squeaky and small, he feels his heart clench against his will. 

 

“You’re lucky you’re kinda cute..”

 

He carefully bends down and unwinds his scarf to use it as blanket to shield the kitten from the cold. Once Auston has the cat tucked in his scarf and cradled safely he pulls out his phone hoping to find a vet close by to check out the cat before he drops it off at a shelter later. 

 

The vet he finds checks over the cat and gives him all the necessary shots after finding that the cat is a stray. 

 

“Poor little guy must have been born a few weeks ago, definitely needs a lot of care...Would you like me to set up your next appointment then we can discuss what materials you’ll need to take care of him.”

 

Auston blinks at the vet looking between him and the kitten drinking milk from a tiny bottle a nurse is holding before laughing nervously. “No offense but I just found the little guy, besides I’m allergic.” The doctor raises a brow at Auston, confused. “This little guy is actually a Oriental Shorthair, they’re hypoallergenic. Meaning you won’t have to worry about allergies but if you really don’t want him I can keep him here until we can find him a home.” 

 

Auston knows the reason why he hasn’t gotten a dog yet, he’s barely home and he doesn’t exactly have someone to watch over said dog when he’s gone but from what Naz has said, cats are pretty codependent and cat sitters are a real thing. Dog sitters are a thing too but Auston knows he’s not ready yet. 

 

“Uh, what else did you say I needed to buy for him?”

 

So that’s how Auston ends up filling out a birth certificate for the cat and handing over his card for a bill he didn’t think would be  _ that _ high. He manages to fill out all the forms until he has to pick a name for the little guy. He looks down at the kitten currently fighting with his scarf trying to figure out a name when a text from his little sister pops up on his phone and it’s a meme of Salem the cat saying “Wow, you must feel like a huge loser” in answer to him complaining about losing to Marns at fifa again. 

 

“Salem..” The tiny cat trips in Auston’s scarf falling onto its back and meowing angrily as he tries to untangle his claws. “Salem Matthews it is then.”

 

Auston Matthews officially becomes a cat dad on an odd day towards the end of the season and really can’t say he hates it especially when Salem decides to forget his oversized carrier to instead curl up in Auston’s hoodie pocket while he shops through PetCo. He ends up getting an assortment of Leaf items because they’re cute and not because of anything else. The old lady at the cash doesn’t recognize him but she does coo over Salem as she slips on his new engraved Leafs collar after making a Toronto joke at him.

 

“I have a cat at home, they can be a handful but they’ll always be there to love you no matter what. Even when they’re being little demons.”

 

The Uber ride home is a mess of a sleepy kitten curled up in his hoodie, a pile of pet items and a story he has no idea how he’s going to explain to his mom. There've been weirder things he’ll just roll with that for now. 

 

Auston’s mom is making lunch by the time he comes back into the apartment. He puts down all of Salem’s new stuff in the living room for later so he can first show him to his mom. 

 

“Hey, Mama..”

 

Ema turns around hoping to see her son looking more refreshed but she finds him standing there holding a tiny black cat in his hands along with a sheepish smile on his face. 

 

“Surprise?” 

 

Of all the things for your son to come home with a kitten is at the bottom of the worry list that Ema has written out in her head. 

 

“Auston, why are you holding a kitten?”

 

“I found him during my walk.” Auston sets Salem down on the free counter letting him take in his new surroundings. “Vet cleared everything and I’m not allergic to him so I ya know...Decided to keep him.” 

 

Ema holds her hand palm side up towards Salem, smiling softly when he leans forward to sniff at her before rubbing up against her hand. Auston feels a sense of relief that Salem likes his mom, not that anyone wouldn’t like Ema Matthews. 

 

“What’s the little guys name?” 

 

Auston pulls the birth certificate out of his pocket to slide it Ema’s way with a small grin. 

 

“Salem Matthews. You can kinda thank Bre for the name.”

 

Ema laughs as she carefully picks up Salem to cradle him in her arms watching him paw at her sweater. Both mother and son laugh when he gets his little claws stuck, meowing angrily as he tries to tug himself free.

 

“He’s an angry little fella.” 

 

Auston slowly reaches out to help Salem, laughing at the way he falls back against Ema’s arm. Ema hands him off to Auston before turning to wash her hands. 

 

“You two go get settled while I finish dinner. Have you told the team about him yet?”

 

Auston shakes his head as he lets Salem settle into his hoodie pocket again like he’s done since their trip to PetCo. 

 

“I didn’t have the chance to yet, I’m sure they’re going to give me hell for adopting a cat of all things. Willy has money on me adopting a chihuahua just so I can name it Mitch, which is not a bad idea come to think of it.”

 

Ema gives her son a look as she points towards the door, but there’s a smile threatening to take over her face so he doesn’t huff as he turns to walk out with Salem. 

 

“One day you boys will learn to leave Mitch alone.”

 

Auston grins widely as he settles his hands under Salem, feeling him curl up again. 

 

“Now where’s the fun in that?”

 

Auston races out before his mom can throw her dish towel at him, his laughter following him out of the kitchen, not catching the soft smile that takes over Ema’s face. It’s been a few days since she’s seen him loosen up and laugh, she thinks Salem will be a good addition to Auston’s life. The boy’s condo too quiet for someone like him. 

 

Auston sits on the couch, careful of Salem in his pocket as he gets settled. Salem doesn’t budge as Auston takes his phone out and snaps a picture of him asleep in the pocket to send it to the Leafs group chat, which instantly floods with messages. 

 

“Looks like you’re popular already, Salem.”

 

Auston scrolls through the messages laughing at the ridiculousness that he finds, especially the comments about the bets some of them lost and Naz proclaiming that Auston is now an honorary member of the Cat Dad club. 

 

_ “His name is Salem and he’s cooler than all of you losers.” _

 

There’s a whole new wave of messages that make Auston’s phone shake, the noise causing Salem to crawl out of Auston’s pocket and meow up at him in what Auston can only assume is annoyance. 

 

“Hey don’t get snappy with me, blame the idiots who don’t know how to text like normal people.”

 

Auston watches Salem flick his tail before trotting to the other end of the couch to curl up and sleep. 

 

“Oh great, you’re already giving me the silent treatment. Salem, buddy, come back here and love me.”

 

Ema watches in amusement from the kitchen as Auston scoots closer to Salem trying to get him back onto his lap but Salem has his claws dug into the cushions refusing to let go. 

 

“I am your father and I love you, so why won’t you love me back is beyond me. Was it Willy? It was definitely Willy’s annoying texts that pissed you off, I’ll shave his head on the next road trip I promise.”

 

Ema has to fight back her laughter as she watches Salem finally give up and let Auston lift him up to cuddle him close to his chest while he lays back along the couch. She’s not surprised by how easy he took to Salem but she’s a little worried about what Nala will do when Auston brings Salem down for the summer. 

 

Later when Ema goes into the living room to get Auston for lunch, she finds him asleep with Salem curled up in a tiny ball over his chest. She snaps a picture before laying a blanket over them, leaving them to sleep while she sends the picture to the rest of the family. 

 

It’s not long after Auston sees the picture that he makes it his lockscreen, which earns him a shit ton of chirps but Naz has Jazzy as his so they suffer together. Although Auston draws the line at Cat play dates, he’s still allergic to Jazzy and he’s sure Jazzy would just boss Salem around. Auston may have also gotten himself and Salem matching bandanas, they look adorable so the guys can fuck off with their comments. Auston’s a total Cat Dad and he’s not ashamed of it.


End file.
